Republican Rep. Dent: Ted Cruz 'put us in a ditch' without 'a plan to get out'

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) on Monday echoed Peter King's that the person to blame for the current government shutdown is Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

"If I had to cast blame anywhere, I would say it was Sen. Cruz and those who insisted upon this tactic that we all knew was not going to succeed," Dent told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

"What he did essentially, Sen. Cruz, basically, he took a lot of folks into the ditch. Now that we're in the ditch, you can't get out of the ditch, the senator has no plan to get out of the ditch, those of us who do have a plan to get out of the ditch and will vote to get out of the ditch will then be criticized by those who put us in the ditch in the first place."

Dent also challenged House Speaker John Boehner's assertion that there aren't enough votes to pass a "clean" continuing resolution to fund the government, saying "I believe there are the votes to pass a clean CR."

Earlier this afternoon, Obama issued Boehner the same challenge. "Hold a vote," the president said. "Call a vote right now. Let's see what happens. If Republicans and Speaker Boehner are saying there aren't enough votes, then they should prove it. Let the bill go to the floor and let's see what happens. Just vote."

On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested that Boehner's afraid such a vote would actually pass, as almost 20 Republicans, including Rep. Dent, have agreed to support it.

"Are you [Boehner] afraid this measure will pass, the government will reopen and the American people will realize you took the country hostage for no apparent reason?" Reid said.

Watch the exchange via TPM below.